Based in the U.S.? Got a Screenplay Idea for Beijing? Then China Has a Contest for You

New screenwriting competitions appear all the time, as we discussed earlier this week here on NFS. As always, when evaluating a competition, I consider what it will do to further the career of an aspiring screenwriter. So when the Chinese government decides to launch a screenwriting competition specifically for U.S.-based screenwriters of any nationality, that’s not a screenwriting competition you hear about every day. Don’t start firing off your script just yet, though. You want to enter this contest? You’d better have a story that takes place in Beijing.

This past Monday, Mar. 4, the Cultural Assets Office of the Beijing Municipal Government announced the launch of the 2013 Beijing International Screenwriting Competition. The contest seeks feature film proposals and short film screenplays set in Beijing from U.S.-based screenwriters of any nationality.

More specifically, here is what you need to know about the feature film competition:

Open to anyone currently living in the U.S., regardless of nationality, including professionals, students and anyone else who wants to enter.
A 5-11 page story proposal plus a one-page cover sheet with brief synopsis (6-12 pages total), all included in a single file (.doc, .docx, or .pdf formats only). Name and contact information should NOT appear anywhere in the proposal. The story proposal must include the story’s beginning, middle and end. Sample dialogue is strongly encouraged.
Beijing must be featured prominently as a location in the proposal (but does not have to be the only location).
The story proposal must be for a film that is appropriate for public screenings in the U.S. and in China.
Submissions must be written in English.
Collaborations are NOT eligible. Individual writers only.
There is no entry fee.
Submissions must be received via the competition website by Apr. 7, 2013.
Five winners will receive an expense-paid week in Beijing plus $1,000.
After the week in Beijing, the five winners will be invited to write their feature-length screenplays based on their proposals. These screenplays will be due by August 20, 2013.
The Grand Prize winner will receive $15,000.
For current full-time students of any nationality enrolled in a college, university, or film school in the U.S., or recent graduates of such schools who have graduated on May 1, 2007 or later, the Beijing International Screenwriting Competition offers a short film screenplay competition:

A 3-11 page screenplay for a short film plus a one-page cover sheet with brief synopsis (4-12 pages total), all included in a single file (.doc, .docx, or .pdf formats only). Name and contact information should NOT appear anywhere in the submission.
Beijing must be featured prominently as a location in the proposal (but does not have to be the only location).
The story proposal must be for a film that is appropriate for public screenings in the U.S. and in China.
Submissions must be written in English and in standard screenplay format.
Collaborations are NOT eligible. Single writers only.
There is no entry fee.
Early bird deadline is Mar. 29, 2013. Early bird entrants are eligible to receive early bird prizes, consisting of 100 AMC gift cards valued at $100 each.
Final deadline is Apr. 20, 2013.
Ten winners will receive an expense-paid week in Beijing.
Seven of the ten winners will receive financing to have their short films produced in Beijing.
Need some visuals to inspire you? Check out the trailer for the competition:

According the competition’s official press release, the goal of the competition is “to foster artistic collaboration and an ongoing creative dialogue between China and the U.S.” Based on the entry criteria, a working knowledge of present-day Beijing would seem to be a requirement for most writers. That said, with enough research, an entrepreneurial screenwriter could figure out how to write a story based in Beijing without ever traveling there – it may be a stretch, but it’s possible. U.S.-based screenwriters already familiar with Beijing certainly have the advantage.

Although I don’t qualify for it, I personally like the short film competition as it is set up. The fact that seven of the ten finalists will actually get to shoot their short films in Beijing sounds like an amazing opportunity for current students and recent grads — plus no entry fee.

To find out more details about the competition, including the official rules and how to enter, check out the Beijing International Screenwriting Competition website.

What do you think about the newly launched Beijing International Screenwriting Competition? Do you think you have a story that could take place in Beijing and impress the judges? Let us know what you think about this new competition in the Comments.